


Be My Companion?

by paperduck



Series: Be My Companion [1]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005), ER, Emergency Room - Fandom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-25
Updated: 2013-09-17
Packaged: 2017-12-24 16:12:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/941954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paperduck/pseuds/paperduck
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Doctor coincidentally meets Elizabeth Corday and convinces her to travel with him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is set during the fifth season of ER, and post fourth season of Doctor Who, so that makes it the Doctor’s tenth regeneration.
> 
> I don't own anything, I'm just having fun with the characters.

Be My Companion?

This is set during the fifth season of ER, and post fourth season of Doctor Who, so that makes it the Doctor’s tenth regeneration.

Chapter one

Flinching at the screeching sound of the TARDIS’ breaks and trying to keep on his feet through the shaking and bucking the Doctor landed his ship. He held onto the console for a few more moments after the calm had settled; which proved to be a wise act since she gave one more shudder before the engine shut down.  
The Doctor gazed at the monitor curiously to see where she had brought him to.  
Earth, year 1999, Chicago, USA.  
He opened the door and saw snow. Grinning he stepped outside and pulled the door closed. The fresh snow crunched under his feet while he wandered around aimlessly.  
After a while he reached a bridge and decided to have a break. Leaning against the balustrade he watched the people hurry by. As he studied them he came to the conclusion that it must be some kind of holiday since many of them carried little colourful gift bags and flowers. Probably St. Valentine’s day. Involuntarily he thought of Donna who would have made fun of them mercilessly, secretly wishing somebody would present her with one of those expensive chocolates as well.  
The Doctor smiled but his hearts clenched at the same time. He had done the right thing. Damn, he had done what he could, there was nothing else he could have possibly done. He knew she would be happy, but if he was honest it didn’t make it easier for him. He missed her easy laughter and their quarrels and her constant bitching about everything he did or not did.  
He sighed.  
He had to look forward – as always. 

Through the crowd of people, faceless and blurred, something caught his eye.  
Between all the rush and noise was one woman standing completely still. Her forearms rested on the balustrade and she looked down from the bridge. She was wrapped in a long dark coat and the wind played with her long curly hair. Her shoulders were pulled up and her expression was blank when she turned her head sideways and he could see her face.  
Fascinated the doctor watched her for a while; she seemed indifferent to the bustle around her. He needed a moment to realize who she reminded him of, but when he did it made him even more miserable.  
River.  
That mysterious woman he had met at the library. That woman who had known so much about him while he knew nothing about her. Who’d left him intrigued and curious.  
He loved solving puzzles and mysteries and so she had fascinated him a great deal. Besides, he had felt attracted, physically.  
The Doctor shook his head. If he could believe her he would meet her again and not just once or twice. He wouldn’t admit it but he felt excited about it.  
That woman across the street however was not River. As far as he could judge from afar she was younger and seemed softer. Her hair was more red than blonde and she didn’t seem as confident. He had already made the decision that he could not leave before he had talked to her, found out why she seemed so sad. Maybe it was the guilt he felt towards River that made him want to contact that woman who looked to similar to her.  
He pushed away from the balustrade and crossed the street. He stopped next to her.  
“Hi.”  
The woman turned her head towards him, her expression rather emotionless. She didn’t echo the greeting.  
But the Doctor was never disheartened that easily. He gave her a grin. “I’m the Doctor.”  
At that she gave a tired smile. “Congratulations. I’m a doctor, too.”  
“No, no, no… that’s my name. I’m the Doctor.”  
Raising an eyebrow she said “well, good for you, I guess,” she shrugged.  
“Nice to meet you,” he beamed.  
She gave a small smile and turned to leave, “Goodbye then.”  
She started walking and he followed her.  
“Uhm, excuse me, but… what do you think you’re doing?”  
“I accompany you?”  
“Did you ask me if I wanted company?” she stopped.  
“No.” He grinned, “May I?”  
“No,” she took a few steps away.  
“Oi, give me a chance!” he called after her.  
It made her turn back “Why?”  
“I’d like to get to know you,” he replied.  
Something in the way he said it made her pause. Of course her alarms had set off – stranger talking to her on the street, being insistent, following her – very good reason to be very careful.  
“I’m busy,” she told him.  
“You weren’t a moment ago,” he reminded her.  
“I had some time, but now I really need to get going, my shift starts shortly.”  
He realized they stood a few buildings away from a hospital.  
“I’ll wait,” he declared, leaning against the wall.  
“No, you won’t,” she told him with a smile and a shake of her head the sent her curls tumbling over her shoulders.  
He contemplated his options. “If I do, will you do me a favour?”  
“Depends,” she said.  
“On what?”  
“The favour.” With that that she turned and walked down the street until she reached the hospital’s back entrance. Without looking back she left him in the cold outside.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for information see chapter one

Chapter two

“Hi,” the Doctor greeted.  
Startled the woman half hidden behind a colourful scarf looked up, this time she replied, “Hi.”  
The Doctor grinned.  
“You did not honestly wait here all that time?” she asked surprised.  
Did he? He couldn’t remember having left the spot but he didn’t know how much time exactly had passed either, so he nodded.  
“No way!” she exclaimed. “I’ve been on a 36 hour shift.”  
He shrugged. Sounded like a long time for her. But what did time matter to him now? He was kind of aimless without somebody at his side, ever since he had left Donna behind.  
“So, will you come with me for a moment?”  
She looked like she considered it and obviously decided to throw caution to the wind because she nodded with a slight smile.  
His face broke into a huge grin and she couldn’t help but mirror it.  
“Come on then.”  
She walked next to him for a few blocks before he turned his head towards her and asked. “So, will you tell me your name?”  
“Elizabeth Corday.”  
“Nice to meet you, Dr. Corday.”  
His smile really was infectious, she decided. It made her feel lighter than she had done in the past days.  
“Where are we going?” she wanted to know.  
“We’re almost there.”   
They rounded a corner and the Doctor announced “Here we are.”  
Elizabeth stopped and stared at the blue police box.  
“Since when’s that thing standing here?” she wondered.  
“Since I parked her here.”  
“You… what?”  
Without answering the Doctor opened the door and went inside. When after a moment he realized she wasn’t following he poked his head outside.  
Elizabeth stood with one hand touching the wood and looked up.  
“What’s up?”  
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen one of those, kind of makes me miss home.”  
He needed a moment to understand the meaning of ‘home’ for her, which of course was different than his and of course she didn’t mean the TARDIS, but the adapted look of a police box.   
“You don’t live here?”  
Elizabeth laughed. “I do live here. But I wasn’t born here.” She cocked her head to one side as she added “Usually I get told my accent is giving me away.”  
The Doctor shrugged, “So, are you coming?”  
“Where to?” she looked at him puzzled.  
“Inside,” he said matter-of-factly and vanished.

Elizabeth hesitated until the Doctor reappeared in the door frame.   
“Oh come on already,” he urged.  
So she followed him and froze in the door. “What…?”  
He looked at her expectantly, glee written all over his face.  
She took another step, her hand rose automatically to push a strand of hair behind her ear except that it wasn’t necessary because her hair was tied up tightly. The absentminded gesture betrayed her outward calmness. “It’s…”  
He waited for the usual reaction.  
“… some kind of trick, right?”  
For a moment he wasn’t sure if he was disappointed or excited that she hadn’t said ‘bigger on the inside’, he decided he liked it.  
“What is this place?”  
Elizabeth entered completely and closed the door behind her.  
“This is my TARDIS,” he said as if that would tell her everything.  
She raised an eyebrow at him. “And that’s some … abbreviation, or…?”  
Yes, he decided he really liked her - and not just because her looks reminded him of River.  
“It’s ‘time and relative dimension in space’.”  
She studied the console. “Well, of course, that explains everything,” she told him with sarcasm obvious in her voice.  
“It’s a spaceship.”  
“Right,” she stressed the word signalling disbelief. “And how did you get your own spaceship if you don’t mind me asking?”  
“I don’t. It’s not mine. I borrowed her a few hundred years ago.”  
Oh, how he enjoyed that part! To see the surprised and sceptical faces and the wonder when they realized it was all true.  
“You stole it, you mean,” she stated.  
“No, I just borrowed her.”  
“So, you’re planning to give… her back at some point?”  
“No, I don’t.”  
“There’s my point.”  
He grinned at her, watched her run her fingers lightly over some buttons.  
“A few hundred years, eh?” she studied his face. “So you’ll tell me you’re not human then, I suppose?”  
“Nope.”  
Elizabeth stared at him trying to find out if he was joking or actually serious.  
“You’re a doctor of medicine, yes?”  
She nodded.  
“Come here,” he beckoned her closer.  
She crossed the room.  
The Doctor grabbed one of Elizabeth’s hands and pressed it against his chest. He waited a moment until he was convinced she would have felt his heart beat and the moved her hand.  
Her eyes widened. “That’s impossible!”  
“Obviously not,” he replied.  
Elizabeth’s hand moved on her own now trying to convince herself that he wasn’t playing tricks on her.  
“Alright,” she said slowly. “What are you then?”  
“I’m a Time Lord from Galifrey.”  
Realizing she still had her hand pressed against his chest, Elizabeth pulled her hand back.  
“I travel through time and space,” the Doctor added.  
“Do you now?” she gave him a lop-sided smile, still not fully believing him. “Prove it.”  
“Where do you want to go?”  
She looked at him rather blankly for a moment before she answered. “I don’t want to know what life on Earth comes to… so show me some alien civilisation.”  
He smiled and began to push buttons and pull levers.

Elizabeth gasped and held onto a bar to not lose balance. She looked around curiously. She watched him jumping around the console making excited noises and looking happy. It had been a while since she had been presented with the company of someone who simply enjoyed the moment. She briefly wondered if she had fallen asleep at the hospital but a screeching sound startled her out of her thoughts.  
“What was that?” she asked alarmed.  
“Don’t worry, it’s perfectly normal. She always makes these noises while landing.”  
“Right… okay…” Elizabeth studied his face. “But is she supposed to make those sounds?”  
“Ah, probably not…”  
She noticed that he was avoiding eye contact.  
“But you don’t care?”  
“Not at all.”  
Elizabeth shrugged.  
Suddenly he walked over to the door rubbing his hands.  
“Are you ready for an adventure?”  
Elizabeth felt nervous but joined him by the door. “Sure, bring it on.”  
“After you,” the Doctor pushed the door open. 

Taking a deep breath Elizabeth stepped outside and looked around.  
The sky had a dark greenish colour and was sprinkled with so many stars. Under her feet pristine white very fine sand crunched when she took a few steps. Further ahead she could see a weird building with spiralling towers and hanging bridges, the walls dark and the round windows aglow with an eerie blue light.  
“Let’s find out what this place is like, shall we?” The Doctor’s voice was cheery.  
“Does that mean you don’t know where we are?”  
“Of course I know where we are. But that doesn’t mean I know why she brought us here,” he started walking ahead.  
“Wait a second!” she called, quickly joining his side again.  
“She sends me to places where my presence is needed, but I rarely know what it is going to be.”  
“So maybe this will be dangerous?” she stopped.  
“Yes!” he beamed. “And isn’t that exciting?!”  
“Let’s go and find out then,” Elizabeth took hold of his wrist and marched off.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for information see chapter one

Chapter three

“I could really do with some food. Didn’t have a proper meal for at least 20 hours.” Elizabeth covered her stomach with both hands.  
“Food… Yes, right!” the Doctor looked around.  
They had been walking through empty corridors for about half an hour.  
Elizabeth watched him pull some device out of his pocket and with a strange noise emitting from it pointed it in all directions.  
“This way,” he finally announced.  
“And what’s that thing?”  
“My sonic screwdriver,” he said as if he was offended she didn’t know.  
“So, what does it do?”  
“Stuff. Lots of different stuff.”  
“Well, now I know. Let me see,” she stretched out her hand, palm up.  
“No!” he pocketed it quickly.  
“Oh, come on, I’m not going to steal it,” she laughed.  
“No.”  
“Doctor… let me have a look, I won’t break it.” Elizabeth insisted.  
Defeated he pulled the sonic screwdriver out once more.   
“Look, don’t touch!” he warned.  
She rolled her eyes. But her curiosity prevented her from commenting.  
“See, this setting opens doors. And with that one I scanned the area for life forms and– weren’t you hungry?” without waiting for her reply he began walking.  
“You love being all mysterious and impressive, don’t you?” Elizabeth slapped his upper arm.  
“Yes, makes women go crazy.”  
“I bet.”

They reached a large door and the Doctor opened it. The room beyond was dimly lit. Some kind of soft strange music was playing.  
“Looks like some kind of restaurant or discotheque,” Elizabeth observed.   
There were low tables set around some kind of oval plateau.  
“Where is everyone?” she heard the Doctor ask and turned around to where his voice came from. She spotted him talking to some small creature with yellowish skin and from what she could see no eyes or ears. From height and figure she would have compare it to a five-year-old, slender with sticklike arms and legs. The arms were pretty long though, hanging almost to the floor.  
“Right!” the Doctor said now.  
Curiously Elizabeth walked closer.  
“How could I forget that? Thank you.”  
The creature seemed to bow its head.  
“Oh, wait, another question!” he stopped it from leaving. “Where could we get some food, the lady’s hungry.”  
The creature turned towards Elizabeth who had come close enough so she could make out tiny yellow eyes that now regarded her. She smiled, hoping that wherever they were it would be interpreted as friendly behaviour.  
“Come with me,” the creature said without moving a mouth or just any muscle actually. It seemed to glide over the floor. “Follow me.”  
Elizabeth walked behind the creature, throwing a look over her shoulder at the Doctor to make sure he followed as well.  
“How come I can understand it?” she asked him.  
“It’s an Owach, and it’s a girl,” he told her.  
“And you happen to know that because…?”  
“I know a lot of things,” he shrugged. “The male Owachs are more orange while the female vary in colours more greenish.”  
“Ah…”  
“As for your question, the TARDIS translates for you.”  
“Like… my head has been updated for their language?”  
“Any language.”  
“Wow, that’s useful!” Elizabeth exclaimed. “I really do hope their food is edible.”  
“You’ll find out soon.”  
They had reached another door and it opened to admit them into a smaller room.  
The Owach stopped and turned, pointing one arm to a low table surround by large oval cushions.   
“You want us to sit down and wait?” Elizabeth guessed.  
The Owach bowed her head and left.

The Doctor dropped rather ungraciously down onto the cushions.  
With another look around Elizabeth followed his example.  
“So, what did she tell you, where is everyone?”  
“What do you guess?”  
Elizabeth placed her elbows onto the table and propped her chin up on her palms. “I am probably thinking too much along the lines of my own life, but I’d guess if this is indeed some kind of restaurant they’re working?”  
The Doctor clapped his hands “Very good.”  
“No… honestly?”  
“Well, not exactly, but close enough.”  
“So, care to explain?” she smiled.  
“The Owach nation is at war with the other inhabitants of this planet. There are three conflicting parties and it’s been going on for ages. There have been more different nations back then but some chose to leave others just vanished…” for a moment he looked rather angry before he continued in a neural tone. “Three times a year, which takes about six Earth months, they stop and all flee to come to one of these facilities to… reenergize, to restore their will to fight.  
“That’s awful!” Elizabeth told him sternly. “So, let me guess. Tonight is one of these… holidays.”  
“Yes.”  
“What are they fighting about?”  
The Owach reappeared carrying two large bowls and a few smaller ones on a tray. She placed it onto the table between Elizabeth and the Doctor.  
“We fight for glory, we fight to rule the planet. We fight for a better life!”  
Elizabeth stared at the Owach.  
“Why are you not fighting?”  
“I do. We choose among the ranks a few who have to serve for… the break. And this time it was my turn.”  
“So, tomorrow you will be off fighting again?” Elizabeth stared at her.  
The Doctor watched the exchange with curious interest.  
“Yes,” the Owach said and left them with their food.  
Elizabeth turned to the Doctor. “This doesn’t make sense. What are they fighting about?”  
“Basically which clan will rule the planet.” He shrugged “They have three ‘leaders’ and one of them will be the highest in the end.”  
“So they’ll never stop. And their children will continue…”  
“Exactly.”  
“Except if two clans are completely destroyed or defeated.”  
“Probably,” he watched the emotions on her face, they were easy to read.   
“That’s sad! Can’t they just… rule together or something?”  
The Doctor raised an eyebrow at her.   
“Yes, yes I know it’s never as easy as that…” she replied defensively.  
“You could suggest it,” he winked.  
“What?”  
“As exchange for the food we have to stay for the ‘party’ later on,” he told her.  
“Sounds fair enough.”  
“So, why don’t we eat?” the Doctor suggested.  
Elizabeth examined the bowls on the table. “Are you sure I can eat that?”  
“I guess.”  
“You try first. I’ll hold you personally responsible if I get sick.”  
“Don’t worry.”  
Tentatively Elizabeth reached for the bowl closest to her and picked out something that looked like a blue root. “Oh and please don’t ever tell me what I have been eating.”  
With that she took a careful bite.  
The Doctor still watched her with amusement. It was fun to watch her experience and react to all these new and for her quite different and unsual things, her reactions predictable but sometimes refreshingly surprising. He longed to be like that again - to be in awe, to be excited, to be fascinated. He hadn’t been able to do that in years; but watching others do it he could feel a fraction through them.  
“Oh… it’s quite good actually… rather spicy though…” she chewed and swallowed.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elizabeth and the Doctor talked for a while until suddenly the room buzzed to life; the doors opened and a large group of Owachs entered.  
> They eyed their foreign guests from a safe distance. They seemed rather curious but hesitant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for information see chapter one

Chapter four

Elizabeth and the Doctor talked for a while until suddenly the room buzzed to life; the doors opened and a large group of Owachs entered.  
They eyed their foreign guests from a safe distance. They seemed rather curious but hesitant.  
Elizabeth watched them sit down around the tables. And through the open doors she could see some others move around in the adjoining room, climbing onto the tableau.  
“Are they dancing?” she asked the Doctor.  
He turned to glance over his shoulder. “They are. Seems you humans aren’t that special after all.”  
She stared at him. “I never claimed that.”  
“But you thought so.”  
She rolled her eyes at him. “Listen, maybe I do feel superior from time to time, but right now I’m simply too much in awe to do so.”  
At that the Doctor grinned broadly.

Elizabeth felt a tug on her sleeve and turned towards the brave Owach who dared to approach them first.  
“Where are you from?” he asked Elizabeth.  
“I come from a place called Earth.”  
“I’ve never heard about it…” he told her self-consciously.  
“It’s a beautiful planet. The sky varies in shades of blue and the ground is sometimes brown, sometimes green or grey.”  
Slowly more Owachs were drawn closer by their curiosity, looking at Elizabeth and the Doctor.  
One particularly small female stepped closer after inspecting them for a while.  
“So… are you male or female?”  
For a moment Elizabeth wanted to laugh but then she realized it was indeed a question. So she answered, “I’m female.”  
“What does the male form of your species look like?”  
“Well...” she threw a glance at the Doctor. “Quite like him, I’d say,” she shrugged.  
The Owachs looked from one to the other repeatedly before she asked “But how do you tell each other apart? You look so similar.”  
“It’s not that complicated, actually…” she hesitated, wanting to give them examples how to tell the difference between female and male, but each thing her mind came up with was accompanied by a few exceptions to the rule and wouldn’t have made it clearer to any of them. Instead she continued “It’s like you can tell each other apart. You get taught the difference and then you just see it.”  
“Do you get it wrong sometimes?”  
Now Elizabeth laughed. “Yes, sometimes. Do you?”  
The Owachs looked at each other, making sounds that she interpreted as laughter.   
“Rarely, but it happens.”

The Doctor had gotten up a while ago and watched Elizabeth interact with the Owachs. Her face didn’t look as tired anymore, she seemed interested and curious. And he could see she was enjoying it. Hearing her laughter made him feel happier.  
He did however feel a little guilty for comparing her to River from time to time. He couldn’t help but wonder what she would have been like had he gotten to know her better. Would she have reacted like her or completely different? But the time for him to know her would come if he could believe her.   
But right now, he realized, he wanted to know more about that woman across the room. For herself not as a substitute to distract him from guilty feelings. Not because he had been unable to safe someone who happened to look similar to her but because she had her own story.

He went back to the table just as one Owach touched Elizabeth’s hand.  
“What are these for?”  
Elizabeth looked at her fingers. The Owach’s hand was warmer than she had expected it to be. She lifted her hand, pointing at it with the fingers of her other hand. “You mean these?”  
“Yes.”  
“They’re called ‘fingers’. I can grab things with them.” She demonstrated by picking up one of the smaller bowls with her index finger and thumb. “And I can point,” she pointed at the Doctor, “when I want to show something to someone.” She ran her fingers over the surface of the low table and then over the cloth of her dress. “I can feel the difference in textures of these.”  
Then Elizabeth smirked. “But most importantly I can do this,” she performed a few small tricks with her fingers like she’d do to entertain children.  
The Owach followed her every motion transfixed and the Doctor made a mental note to remember this should he ever be asked the same question.  
He sat down. “Having fun?”  
She beamed at him, “Yes.”  
“What is your place in society?” One Owach had sat down on a cushion next to Elizabeth.  
“What?” she looked irritated for a second. “Oh, of course! I heal people, make them better when they are sick.”  
Most of the Owachs took a huge step backwards at that.  
Elizabeth’s eye grew wide and she threw an insecure glance at the Doctor. “Did I say something wrong, did I scare them?”  
“Ask them if you want to know.”  
Elizabeth turned towards the Owach sitting next to her pointing at the retreating group of Owachs. “What happened, are you scared of me now?”  
“No,” he made that funny noise she had heard earlier again. “They are in awe and try to treat you respectfully. They probably feel bad for stealing your time.”  
“I don’t understand.”  
“Healers are very important to their society,” the Doctor helped her out.  
“Only some of us are born to be healers but they’re being few and becoming less with the war going on.”  
Elizabeth leaned her elbows on the table once more, fixing the Owach and frowning at him. “Can’t you teach others to be healers? Do they have to be born to do it?”  
“Teach? What do you mean?”  
“Where I come from nobody is born to be something specific. And when we grow up we learn to be a doctor or a mechanic or a teacher or whatever we want to become. There are limitations, but generally it would be possible for more people to be doctors than actually really become doctors.”  
For a long moment the Owach stared at Elizabeth silently, then he got up quickly. “I have to leave now. Enjoy the festivities.”  
“Thank you.”

Elizabeth turned towards the Doctor.  
“Well, if that wasn’t a polite way to tell me my suggestion was crazy…” she huffed.  
“I wouldn’t say that,” he Doctor assured her. “I assume you filled his head with so many ideas that he had to share them with someone, see?” The Doctor pointed and Elizabeth followed with her eyes.  
The Owach seemed to be quite animatedly talking to a group of others that threw glances at them now and then.  
“Maybe you just helped them win their war, who knows?”  
“What?!” Elizabeth stared at him.  
“Well, you showed them an opportunity to improve their warfare…”  
“I did not intend that,” she looked uneasy.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For information see chapter one.
> 
> This chapter is rather short... so I apologize and promise to hurry up with the next.

Chapter five

With a little tinge of concern the Doctor watched how Elizabeth closed her eyes for a moment swayed a little in her feet. She caught herself though and rubbed over her eyes, forehead and cheeks with her fingers. Right, he remembered how she had said something about a very long shift and being tired. He tended to forget the fact that humans needed regular sleep to function correctly.   
He made his was over to her and gently took her elbow.  
“I think we better call this a night, eh?”  
She nodded, looking exhausted.  
The bid theirs hosts a good night and left through the huge sliding doors.

“You said they lost the ability to trade and talk with each other. So it’s pretty obvious what there is to do and who’s going to do it.” Elizabeth said while she walked down the corridor.  
“So, enlighten me.”  
“You are going to make them talk and translate for them.”  
“What makes you think I’d do that?” the Doctor asked.  
“Well, you said your TARDIS takes you to places where you are needed, obviously she wanted you to help them out.”  
“And why not you?”  
“Listen, I really need to get some sleep and back before my next shift… “  
Elizabeth broke off when the Doctor started laughing.  
“What’s so funny?” she asked.  
“Did you forget the time travel thing?”  
“What?”  
“I’ll take you back to the exact moment where we left off. You won’t be missed.”  
“I won’t be missed much anyway, only from the person who would have to cover for my shift if I didn’t show up.” Elizabeth started to pick on a loose thread on her sleeve.  
The Doctor watched her from the side. “I find that hard to believe.”  
Elizabeth laughed without joy, “The plain and simple truth.”  
They entered the TARDIS.  
“Why?”  
“Why what?” Elizabeth asked irritated.  
“Why is nobody waiting for you?”  
Elizabeth shrugged. “As I understand it I am complicated, unfriendly and exhausting people’s patience. And for the rest of the world I am working too much.”  
She walked over to the bench and sat down.  
“I’d really love to have some tea right now,” she sighed.  
“Okay…” the Doctor said and vanished into a corridor only to reappear a second after to slip into another one.  
A few minutes passed before he came back with a steaming mug in his hands.  
“I normally don’t do waiter service.”   
He handed Elizabeth the mug. He wasn’t entirely sure if she had been dozing before he reappeared or not.  
“Thank you,” she smiled and inhaled deeply.  
With one raised eyebrow she carefully blew over the light brown liquid watching its surface ripple before taking a sip. Deciding it was going to cover her need for the moment she took another sip.

“Why me?”  
“Coincidence,” the Doctor replied maybe too quickly.  
With her eyes narrowed Elizabeth looked at him for a long moment before she decided to drop the topic for now. He was constantly smiling at her but it never reached his eyes. And his face was quite blank each time she watched him when he thought she didn’t look. He seemed to know so much, maybe too much. Was he actually able to be happy? Maybe she could make him smile and feel it. But not before she had gotten some rest. This puzzle had to wait another few hours.  
“So, what will you be doing about the war?” she asked instead.  
“You tell me.”  
“Nothing right now, because I am about to fall asleep any second now,” Elizabeth yawned for emphasis.  
“Oh, right!” He jumped up from the console he had sat on and pointed at one door. “Second to the left, down the corridor first chance turn right and then third door on the right side.”  
Using most of her willpower to push herself up from the bench Elizabeth followed his instructions. She had half expected him to take her home but didn’t really care as long as she got a chance to catch some sleep.  
She was rather sure she was going to wake up to realize this whole thing had been a dream.  
Elizabeth kicked off her shoes, let her dress drop to the floor and sat down on the bed. She picked her dress up and hung it over the bedpost. She pulled the hair tie and pins out of her hair and shook her head until her curls hung down over her shoulders and back.   
She was asleep the second her head touched the pillow.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for information see chapter one

Chapter six

“Good morning,” Elizabeth smiled. “Or whatever time of the day it is.” She felt good, she felt rested and awake like she hadn’t in a long time.  
The Doctor grinned at her.  
“What’s up?” she asked defensively.  
“It’s been twelve hours. I wasn’t sure if I should come and wake you.”  
She leaned against the console next to him.   
“So, what have you been up to while I was out?”  
He grinned even wider.  
“Open the door.”  
Uncertain she did as she was told, carefully taking a peek outside.  
“Please tell me this is not what I think it is.”  
“Their battle field? Indeed, it is.”  
“What… why…?”  
“You wanted to stop them, you’re going to.”  
“Wait, no!” she protested. “I told you to do it, not me. I can’t!”  
He crossed his arms over his chest, watching her.  
“Honestly! How am I supposed to do something like that?”  
He grabbed her shoulders and steered her outside. “Be creative.”  
“Wait a second. What’s going on?!” she pulled away from him and twirled around.  
“I arranged that we can attend their meeting, you can suggest your ideas, maybe they’ll listen to you…” he walked a few steps ahead.  
Quickly Elizabeth ran after him, catching him by the wrist and hauled him back towards the TARDIS.  
“No way!” she told him fiercely.  
The Doctor looked at her, keeping silent.  
“This is totally stupid,” her eyes narrowed.  
“What? I arranged a meeting so you can talk to them…”  
She cut him off exclaiming “You did not!”  
“Well, okay, I didn’t,” he grinned, “they were meeting anyway.”  
“Good. Let’s not do anything.”  
“But you wanted…”  
Elizabeth made an impatient gesture with her hand, wiping his argument away. “And who am I to meddle with their affairs? No.”   
“So, do you want to watch them talk, or rather, not talk?” he asked.  
Elizabeth nodded.  
The Doctor reached for her wrist but she evaded him.  
“Let me at least put shoes on first!” she laughed.  
He looked down at her bare feet.   
“Oh.”  
“You don’t happen to… have some shoes around? It’s a bit too hot for wearing snow boots.”   
He rattled down some instructions and she shot him a sideways glance before she walked off to search for the room he had described.

The Doctor lead Elizabeth to a seat in the back. Without attracting too much attention she could study the other participants.  
“Tell me about those,” she pointed at a delegation of aliens that were huge compared to the Owachs, their skin was grey-white, their backs distorted and their heads were very small for their height.  
“They’re called Kargaaths, their skin is like the bark of a tree, had to penetrate with spears and such, but it makes them slow and inflexible. They used to be a very peaceful tribe. One of their leaders a few generations back, they live for like… 200 years, decided to modify their genes to make them fiercer and more demanding. Otherwise they probably would have surrendered by now.”  
“What about the others?” Elizabeth asked. The nation looked almost human, body builder type human. Though their skin had a dark red tone and the form of their heads was very much not human.  
“The Noptines, from the look of them you’d think they had to be superior, the totally look like warriors, don’t they? But they’re not exactly skilled with tactics…”  
“You mean they’re… kind of stupid?”  
“No necessarily. They are brilliant builders and even better with plants.”  
“What about animals?” she asked after a few moments of silence.  
The Doctor turned towards her and Elizabeth felt the urge to explain.   
“I mean I can see they have some kind of wild flora but… don’t they have any kind of animals on this planet?”  
He looked at her for a moment more until she felt stupid for even asking.  
“They used to have quite a diverse fauna. But that war ruined this planet more or less. They used to have a much richer flora as well a few generations back.”  
“Don’t they regret it?” She wondered.  
The Doctor shrugged, “Yeah, probably would. If they found time to think about it.”

They watched the scene in front of them for a long while.  
The three leaders stood behind some kind of crude lecterns and talked; heated and animatedly all at the same time without listening to any of the others at all.  
“Doctor, come,” Elizabeth grabbed his sleeve suddenly and pulled him up and away from the group.  
“What’s going on?” he asked sounding amused.  
“I had an idea,” she replied.

When they had reached a safe distance she turned to him.  
His voice was thick with barely contained laughter at her determined expression when he prompted “Care to share your idea with me or shall I guess?”  
“I need children!”  
“I don’t think this is the right moment to discuss…”  
She playfully hit his shoulder. “That’s not what I meant,” she laughed.  
“Oh,” he gave back.   
“I was thinking… maybe we could get some of their children and… how exactly does that translation thing work? I don’t know, let them watch a video about their planet or have them play together. And they will understand each other… and then they’ll grow up and remember… they could teach others…” her voice trailed off. “Oh, forget what I said, it sounds stupid even to my own ears.”  
The Doctor shook his head. “We could do this if you like. There won’t be a guarantee though that it’ll work out.”  
“Is there ever?”  
“No. I just thought you wanted a solution that happened faster.”  
Elizabeth sat down on the ground and leaned her back against the TARDIS and kicked the borrowed slippers off her feet. “I... okay, imagine this: I walked up to them and told them ‘here, look, you have to do it like this’ and miraculously they agreed with me, what I doubt and you do too, and then the next generation think ‘what’s that shit, we don’t want this’ and everything’s back as it is now or even worse and they won’t try again…”  
“Possible.”  
“But if we showed them what their planet was like maybe they would want to have it back…” Elizabeth contemplated. “And they’d decide that for themselves. With just a little push into the right direction, no force…”  
She looked up at him, squinting her eyes because the light came from behind him.  
“What do you think?”  
“I think I’ll help you get a few children,” the Doctor said.  
Elizabeth grinned at him.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for information see chapter one

Chapter seven

The Doctor and Elizabeth stood next to a low wall watching some Owach children play.  
“How do we get them?”  
“I don’t know. I never kidnapped children before,” Elizabeth tapped her index finger against her chin.  
“We’re not kidnapping them. We’ll give them back!” he reminded her.  
“Let’s get going,” with that Elizabeth gathered her skirt in one hand and climbed over the low wall.  
The Owach children had watched them with interest before, now they slowly came closer to stare at Elizabeth. When she crouched down in front of them some picked at her clothes and curls curiously.  
The Doctor watched as she talked to them, answered questions and asked them about their games.  
After a moment she got up and motioned for the whole group of maybe eight or nine Owach children to follow her -which they did.  
“What did you promise them?”  
“A nice excursion,” she grinned at him.

They took the Owachs back to the TARDIS and asked them to wait for a short while.  
“We better split up to gather the other children quickly. I don’t want to leave them without supervision for too long,” the Doctor said and Elizabeth nodded.

She didn’t really appreciate being on her own but Elizabeth decided she could do this.  
She had spotted a group of Kargaath children earlier when they had attended the meeting. So now she quickly made her way over to them.  
They look much more intimidating than the Owachs.   
Elizabeth took a deep breath and smiled as she sat down next to two really small Kargaaths that were rolling a green cube back and forth between them.  
The Kargaaths eyed her warily and more fearful than the Owachs.   
But curiosity won and the gathered around her after a few moments.   
She began asking them questions and eventually they started to give answers.   
After a while of talking they begged her for stories from her planet.   
“Oh, I will tell you as much as you want to know, but first I want to show you something about your own planet.”  
And when she got up the Kargaath children followed her.

When Elizabeth returned to the TARDIS she saw the Doctor had been successful as well.   
They ushered all the groups of aliens into the TARDIS and the Doctor climbed up a few steps so they could all see him.  
He waited for a moment before he effectively caught everyone’s attention.  
“Listen to me, don’t be afraid, I want to show you something. And when you’ve seen it you may ask as many questions as you can think of, but before that… I don’t want to hear a word from any of you.”

Elizabeth watched the groups of children while the Doctor operated the TARDIS and noticed that some looked scared, some looked curious and they all kept throwing glances at each other. She had expected them to be hostile maybe, but they looked rather shy and insecure.

The Doctor grinned rubbed his hands and almost jumped to open the door.   
He made a gesture with his hands and the children hesitantly followed him.   
Elizabeth made sure nobody got left behind and followed him as well. When she stepped outside she gasped.  
“This is what the planet looked like… before?” she whispered to him.  
He nodded.  
In a short distance an Owach woman was talking to a group of Kargaath next to a building site. It looked like she gave them instructions. On the building site itself some Noptines carried boxes and Owachs were helping them to store the boxes away.   
There were plants everywhere and the mood seemed to be busy but friendly.

The children stared at the scene in front of them for a long while. But suddenly the all started asking questions at the same time.  
Where they were, what had happened, why they did not fight each other, why they could talk to each other.  
The Doctor explained to them that this was indeed their own planet as it had been before the war. He answered them everything they wanted to know and while the children looked at each other warily at first they got more courageous as time passed.  
Elizabeth smiled to herself when the children of the different alien races actually started talking to each other, not trading insults but sharing information with genuine interest. The Doctor caught her gaze and winked at her.

After a while the children started exploring in little mixed groups and Elizabeth sat down on the ground.   
“Seems like your plan works,” the Doctor told her.  
“Hm…” she nodded thoughtfully. “I’m not sure if they can keep this interest up if they’re confronted with their races’ prejudices… and maybe they’re a too small group against too many.”  
“That’s something you can’t influence.”  
“I know. I knew. I just want it to work,” Elizabeth raised her hands into the air.  
He patted her shoulder. “Have some confidence.”

The Owachs, the Kargaaths and the Noptines slowly came back from their exploring tours to gather around them.  
A small Kargaath boy reminded Elizabeth that she had promised them a story about her home.  
And so she sat there telling them about blue skies and white clouds and a yellow sun that slept at night, about lush green grass, sweet red berries and chocolate cakes.  
Once they had asked her many questions and listened to her answers the Doctor shooed the children back into the TARDIS to take them home to their correct time.  
They looked sad and happy and thrilled and anxious at the same time when Elizabeth and the Doctor said goodbye and left them.

Once back at the TARDIS Elizabeth sat down on the stairs and exhaled.   
“I need a huge cup of tea, my throat feels raw,” she looked up at the Doctor expectantly.   
“So, besides some tea – and I may mention it again, I usually don’t do waiter services – do you want to have a peek at them, a hundred years from here?” he asked her.  
Elizabeth thought about it. “No, I don’t want to…”  
“Are you scared it didn’t work?” he crossed his arms over his chest.  
She gave him a weak smile.  
“Alright. Where do you want to go instead?”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for information see chapter one
> 
> As you probably noticed the story arch kind of ended with the last chapter, this is more like a bonus to have them interact some more.

Chapter eight

“So, you’re sure you want to go back home?” the Doctor asked.  
For a long moment Elizabeth hesitated. His offer to travel with him was tempting. And one not so small part wanted to accept it. But reason held her back. It would be so easy to go with him, run away from her life for a while, but then what? Going back now would be hard, but going back after having seen much much more would be impossible. But that was what was going to happen inevitably, wasn’t it?  
“I have work to do,” she said.  
“Yes…,” he didn’t try to hide his disappointment.  
“Look, I would really love to travel with you. But I worked so hard to get where I am now… I am not willing to give it up, as tempting as your offer is,” she placed one hand on his forearm, looking into his eyes.  
“Won’t you wonder ‘what if’?”  
She smiled at him. “Of course I will. But I would the other way round as well. I need to do this.”  
“Yes, of course,” he sighed.  
“Can we do one more thing before you drop me off?” Elizabeth’s eyes sparkled.  
He raised an eyebrow at her. “And what would that be?”  
“Close to the campus of my university is a pub, a small one. I went there many times. All the students did. And I know it had been there for ages before I was even born. I would love to visit that place in the nineteen seventies.”  
His face lit up “Of course!”  
And he began to operate the TARDIS right away.  
He had known she would decline even before he had asked; though of course he had to try anyway. Maybe it was better this way, but he didn’t have to like it.

Elizabeth held onto the console to keep her balance when they landed.  
Once the ground under her feet seemed to have calmed she let go and hurried over to the door peeking outside.  
She shut the door noisily turned to him and squealed “Oh my God, this is amazing!”  
The Doctor crossed the room and reached for the handle of the door but Elizabeth stopped him.  
“What?” he asked irritated.  
“You can’t go out there like that!”  
“Why?”  
She smirked. “It’s a pub full of students. In the seventies. At least take your necktie off!” while she spoke she loosened the knot and pulled said item off his neck.  
“You’re not exactly shy, are you?” he asked when she opened the first two buttons of his shirt.  
“Oh, did you think that?” she cocked her head to one side.  
To avoid an answer – and thinking about what he was going to answer in the first place – he grabbed her upper arm and steered her outside. “Let’s go!”  
Laughing Elizabeth followed him.  
“Oh, a few hours of summer in the middle of winter!” she inhaled deeply and turned her face towards the sun.  
“Your colleagues will wonder where you got the freckles from over night,” he teased her.  
She gave him a funny look before she turned on the spot, her dress twirling around her legs.

They entered the pub and needed a few moments before their eyes had adjusted to the dim light and they chose a table in a corner.  
“Uhm, do we have any money?” Elizabeth asked.  
Before the Doctor could answer she had gotten up from the bench and made her way over to the bar.  
He watched her while she talked to the bartender and two guys on bar stools. He could hear her laughter drifting over. After a few moments she returned carrying two bottles of beer.  
“Here you go,” she smirked.  
“What did you promise them?”  
That made her laugh. “Nothing. I told them I was new in town and they offered me a drink.”  
She took a gulp from her bottle.  
“Oh, look!” she exclaimed excitedly. “That guy over there with the long hair and the sketchpad? My biology professor,” she pointed at him. “Or at least that’s what he’s going to be…”

After they had finished their beers Elizabeth persuaded the Doctor to lie down in the grass for a moment so she could watch the clouds pass by.  
He crossed his arms behind his head and watched her take off her boots and socks and wriggle her toes with a little giggle before she dug them into the grass.  
“Much better.”  
She dropped onto her back next to him and they stared at the sky in silence.  
“You never answered my question.” Elizabeth suddenly said.  
The Doctor turned his face towards her, “which question?!”  
She rolled onto her side and propped her head up in one hand. “Why me?”  
He hesitated.  
“Oh come on, spill it.”  
“You reminded me of someone,” he said carefully.  
“And?”  
He looked at her mutely.  
“A little more information please. Who is she?” Elizabeth encouraged.  
“I never told anyone.”  
“Guilt?” she guessed.  
“Yes.”  
“Well, I don’t think I’d find someone to tell about it, so I’d say you secret is safe with me…”  
“The short version; I met that woman and she was really mysterious and intriguing… she sacrificed her life to save mine. And then I saw you on that bridge and you do look like her but then again you don’t. And you are completely different and then maybe not so much at all.”  
Elizabeth watched his face attentively. “So… you wanted me as a substitute?” she asked, but her voice was neutral.  
“No!” he exclaimed. “No, no, no. I knew you’d be different. And I like it. But you looked so sad and I thought maybe I would feel less guilty if I made you laugh instead.”  
Elizabeth let herself roll onto her back once more, crossing her arms behind her head.  
“I had a great time,” she told him.  
“You’re not… angry?”  
“Why would I be? No, actually I’m rather thankful.”  
Then she got up. “Time to go home?”  
The Doctor got up as well, brushed the blades of grass from his trousers and nodded.

“So, where do you want me to drop you off?” the Doctor asked.  
Elizabeth gave him an address before she began “Could you…”  
“Hm?” he asked while he typed the coordinates.  
“Could you maybe… drop me off a few hours before we left?” her head was bowed but her eyes looked up to fix him.  
When he didn’t reply she added, “I would love to… have some free time before the next shift…”  
“What do you want to do?” he leaned against the console his amusement clearly showing.  
“Don’t know… long bath, read a few chapters… sleep?” she answered a little embarrassed.  
He laughed, “Sure.”

 

“I’m sorry…” Elizabeth made a gesture with her hands “… about your friend, I mean.”  
“Don’t worry,” he assured her. “She said I’d meet her again.”  
Irritated Elizabeth frowned, she opened her mouth to reply but just shook her head instead. “I don’t even want to ask.”  
“No, you don’t,” he shook his head.  
They smiled at each other.  
They stood next to the TARDIS door around the corner from Elizabeth’s flat. It was time to say goodbye.  
“So, thank you, Doctor,” Elizabeth placed one hand on his forearm, rose onto her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his cheek.  
“Thank you for your company, it was nice,” he grinned. He was masking his true feelings; that he regretted her decision not to be his companion. He wasn’t sure if it was meant to make it easier for her r for himself. He had become quite good at running away from himself.  
Elizabeth stepped outside and turned around. She pulled her scarf tightly around her neck.  
“Will I see you again?” she asked.  
He grinned. “Possibly... do you want to?”  
She laughed and waved, “See you then, Doctor.”  
"Till the next time, Elizabeth."

 

The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am totally planning to write a sequel where he keeps that promise, I have a few ideas already.


End file.
